My only opportunity to see mt. Everest

There are three economically feasible ways to see Mt. Everest with your own eyes. The 1st way is to take a 21-day hike to the base camp, which is cold, difficult, and you only see it near the base camp.

The second way to to take a12-day hike to see it from another mountain, which is easier but for experienced hikers.

The third way is to visit Nagarkot which is 32 km NE of Kathmandu on the northern fringe of the Kathmandu valley. Nagarkot is famous for its Himalayan views- the Himalayan peaks at sunrise are a magnificent sight to behold.

The 4-mile trail climbs up to the tower of Nagarkot. From the tower there are excellent views of mountain including view of Mt Everest and Kahmandu valley. I saw the breathtaking views of the major Himalayan peaks of Nepal like Manaslu, Ganesh, Langtang, dorje Lakpa, sisa pagma, Choyu, Gauri Shankar, and most importantly, the tip of Mt. Everest (8848 m).

I wish i know the last option earlier so i could have taken a 3-day hike to better enjoy the view. The trail passes many villages and terrace to reach to Namoboudha. In Namobuddha there are some interesting Tibetan monastery .

The scenic ride via the ancient city of Bhaktapur and tiny villages along meandering mountain roads is a journey by itself, before arriving at Nagarkot. The way towards there was jammed on the roads and inside the bus and it tool over 3 hrs. The way back was much easier but I ran into political protest and stuck for 15 minutes.

I was deterred by the high admission fee and skipped Bhaktapur. I later found out that Bhaktapur has more temples per square foot than Patan or Kathmandu and is a World Heritage site listed by the UNESCO. The high admission is used to pay for restoration since a 1934 earthquake severely damaged the city.